At the Theater - "The November Man" (2014) -Pierce Brosnan stars as "Devereaux", an ex-CIA agent who is lured back into the espionage game when a former lover runs afoul of a crooked Russian politician. Luke Bracey (G.I. Joe: Retaliation) portrays our super-agent's former protege who is charged with tracking him down, while Olga Kurylenko (Quantum Of Solace) is the social worker harboring the whereabouts of a key witness that could turn the tide of an election.
The film (based upon Bill Granger's Novel, There Are No Spies) is essentially a cat-and-mouse Spy Thriller/Action film in the vein of the Bourne films, though this particular offering in the genre is rarely intelligent while mixing familiar, derivative material in a tired and clunky fashion. The logic is a bit off-kilter and the narrative flow is intermittently disjointed, as if two films from two different filmmakers had been spliced together out of last-minute desperation. Strangely enough, the problems I had with this film often reminded me of issues I had with two recent and underwhelming Jason Statham actioners; 2011's The Mechanic and 2013's Parker. Director Roger Donaldson (No Way Out, White Sands, The Getaway and The Bank Job) has helmed a handful of fine action/thrillers in the past, yet seems to be either uncomfortable with the material or disinterested...
Pierce Brosnan is edgier than the last several films in which he's been featured, though a particular scene about halfway through the film's run-time will leave most on the fence regarding how they feel concerning his character- it's a strangely unnecessary and pointlessly brutal sequence that I was sure would turn out to be a dream (it's just that bad), but was sorely mistaken. Myself, I just couldn't get back on Devereaux's bandwagon after the occurrence.
The 25-year-old Bracey, although in the infancy of his film career, has his work cut out for him in progressing as an actor. At this point, the Aussie will continue to get work simply because he's handsome.
Olga Kurylenko continues to make strides as an actress, though she's utilized as little more than the obligatory damsel in distress here. The Ukrainian actress is a bit too thin for my tastes, yet she does have amazing legs... I digress.
This film's hard R rating is welcomed- this is a decidedly violent and bloody venture, with devastating gunshot wounds and a bit of jugular wine flowing about, while a sequence set in a Russian nightclub features a bevy of bare-breasted strippers- never saw any of that in a Bond film.
All things considered, though, The November Man is a substantial disappointment- the film fails to get simple aspects of the genre right, from hare-brained plot twists, tonal schisms, lackluster main villains, characters that disappear with no explanation and a myriad of outright dumb decisions (from the filmmakers and characters alike), my call is to skip it. There's just too damned many quality films in the Spy Thriller genre to waste time on this one...
5.0 out of 10
Director: Roger Donaldson
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko, Bill Smitrovich, Will Patton, Lazar Ristovski, Amila Terzimehic, Mediha Musliovic, Eliza Taylor, Caterina Scorsone and Patrick Kennedy
Run-Time: 108 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for strong violence including a sexual assault, language, sexuality/nudity and brief drug use
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